Umar Naseer

Umar Naseer
ޢުމަރު ނަޞީރު
Naseer in 2016
Minister of Home Affairs
In office
19 November 2013 – 21 June 2016
PresidentAbdulla Yameen
Preceded byAhmed Shafeeu (acting)
Mohamed Jameel Ahmed
Succeeded byAhmed Zuhoor
Personal details
Born (1967-04-27) 27 April 1967
Henveiru, Malé, Sultanate of the Maldive Islands
PartyIndependent (2018–present)
Other political
affiliations		Islamic Democratic Party (2008–2010)
Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (2010–2010)
Progressive Party of Maldives (2010–2013; 2015–2017) Jumhooree Party (2013–2015; 2017–2018)
Children4
Alma materUniversity of Hull

Umar Naseer (born 27 April 1967)[1] is a Maldivian politician who served as the Minister of Home Affairs from 2013 to 2016. Naseer ran as an independent candidate in both the 2008 and 2023 presidential elections.

Early life and education

Naseer was born on 27 April 1967 in Henveiru, Malé, Sultanate of the Maldive Islands (present Maldives).[1] He did his Master of Business Administration at the University of Hull.[1] He did military training and police training in Japan and the Maldives as well as leadership training at Harvard University.[1]

Political career

In 2008, Naseer ran in the 2008 Maldivian presidential election representing the Islamic Democratic Party (IDP). He received 2,472 votes and was unable to go into the second round.[2]

In 2010, Naseer left the IDP stating that it had no future and joined the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) in a ceremony and was welcomed by then-leader of DRP Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.[3]

In September, during when Naseer was serving as the Deputy Leader of the party, the DRP's council filed a case against Naseer to the Disciplinary Committee for forging a press release and for causing division in the party.[4] This resulted in Naseer being dismissed from the party and being removed from the party's membership list.[5][6]

In 2011, Naseer joined the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).[7]

In 2013, Naseer declared war within the party after his defeat in the party's presidential primaries for the 2013 presidential election.[8] He called the primaries rigged by purposefully invalidating the ballots by ticking Abdulla Yameen's name.[9] PPM's Council launched a case to its disciplinary committee after Naseer refused to apologize for calling the primaries rigged.[4] In April, he was dismissed from the party.[10] Naseer contested this decision and submitted a case to the Civil Court to seek a ruling.[11] A case was filed by another PPM member to the Civil Court to invalidate the primary but was dismissed on a technicality.[12][13] Naseer later personally resubmitted the case which the court later ruled in the favour of PPM.[14][15]

Following this, Naseer joined the Jumhooree Party (JP) in the same year.[16]

In November, Naseer was appointed as a member of Yameen's cabinet as the Minister of Home Affairs.[17] Naseer was appointed on a JP ticket but switched back to PPM in September 2015.[16] In 2016, Naseer resigned as minister.[18] In 2017, Naseer rejoined the JP but later left in 2018 to run in the presidential election that year.[19][20]

He ran as an independent candidate in the 2023 Maldivian presidential election, finishing fourth out of eight candidates.

Controversies

Naseer's career in the Maldives Police Service ended under contentious circumstances. As a Sergeant, he was allegedly expelled for torturing a detainee during an interrogation. In an exclusive interview with Minivan News in London, Abdulla Mahir, a torture victim who gained notoriety in July 2007 after throwing an egg at Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, claimed that while in police custody, he was tortured by Naseer and his team.[21] Mahir stated that the torture left him permanently disabled.[21]

Naseer had advocated for arming police officers with pistols and guns. At a ceremony marking the 82nd anniversary of the Maldives Police Service, he suggested “narrowing constitutional rights” for those arrested by the police and eliminating the requirement to present an arrested suspect before a judge within 24 hours.[22]

In his 2023 presidential bid announcement, Naseer assured that his administration would implement the death penalty, which he claimed would establish peace and order across the nation.[23] He further stated that all drug traffickers would be sentenced to death, and prisoners currently serving life sentences would be executed.[24]

In addition to his other policies, Naseer has been a vocal advocate for the implementation of Shariah law in the Maldives. He believes that incorporating Shariah principles into the legal system will help establish a more just and moral society. His vision includes strict adherence to Islamic laws, which he argues will bring about peace and order.[25]

Arrest and charges

During the 2011–2013 Maldives political crisis, Naseer was arrested while protesting against the government.[26]

In 2014, Naseer was charged with disobedience to an order after he was accused of calling for volunteers to breach the Maldives National Defence Force's headquarters during the detention of judge Abdulla Mohamed.[27] Naseer failed to attend court three times to answer his charges and an arrest warrant was issued.[28] The Home Ministry said that he isn't evading as he was in the Netherlands.[29] The High Court rejected Naseer's appeal to overturn his arrest warrant claiming that warrants can't be appealed.[30] The case was concluded in July 2014.[31]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Ministers" (PDF). People's Majlis. pp. 12–13. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  2. ^ "Presidential Election 2008". Elections Commission. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023.
  3. ^ Nazeer, Ahmed (19 January 2010). "IDP 'has no future' says Umar, jumping to DRP". Minivan News. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  4. ^ a b Nazeer, Ahmed (7 April 2013). "PPM to decide whether to discipline Umar Naseer for allegations of corruption in party primary". Minivan News. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  5. ^ Merrett, Neil (2 December 2010). "Umar Naseer dismissed amidst stormy day for the DRP". Minivan News. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  6. ^ Nazeer, Ahmed (4 January 2011). "DRP requests EC to remove Umar Naseer from party membership list". Minivan News. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  7. ^ Naish, Ahmed (16 October 2011). "PPM approves party constitution, council and logo at inaugural convention". Maldives Independent. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  8. ^ Powell, Luke (30 March 2013). "Yameen elected as PPM presidential candidate". Minivan News. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  9. ^ Naahee, Mohamed (2 April 2013). "Umar Naseer alleges PPM primaries rigged, declares "war within the party"". Minivan News. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  10. ^ "PPM officially dismisses Umar Naseer". Sun. 27 April 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  11. ^ Mohamed, Mariyath (28 April 2013). "Umar Naseer contests dismissal from PPM in Civil Court". Minivan News. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  12. ^ Mohamed, Mariyath (18 April 2013). "PPM presidential primary results challenged in court". Minivan News. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  13. ^ Merrett, Neil (4 May 2013). "Civil Court dismisses case to invalidate outcome of PPM primary". Minivan News. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  14. ^ Merrett, Neil (6 May 2013). "Umar Naseer resubmits case to invalidate outcome of PPM primary". Minivan News. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  15. ^ Naish, Ahmed (27 June 2013). "Civil Court rules in favour of PPM over contested primary results". Minivan News. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  16. ^ a b Mitra, Devirupa (4 July 2016). "Elections Aren't Due till 2018 but the Maldives Presidential Race Just Got a Lot More Interesting". The Wire. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  17. ^ "President appoints six new Cabinet Ministers". The President's Office. 19 November 2013. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  18. ^ "Home minister resigns". Maldives Independent. 21 June 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  19. ^ Ahmed, Farah (22 December 2017). "Maldives opposition dismayed at ex-home minister joining Jumhoory Party". The Edition. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  20. ^ Abdulla, Shaina (15 May 2018). "Ex-home minister resigns from Jumhoory Party to run in elections". The Edition. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  21. ^ a b "'Egg Mahir' Vows To Strike Again". Minivan News. 28 July 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  22. ^ Rasheed, Yameen (30 March 2015). "Umar Naseer: A study in Incompetence". The Daily Panic. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  23. ^ "Umar pledges to execute those sentenced to death by Supreme Court". PSM News. 15 August 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  24. ^ "Umar Naseer Pledges Top Priority to Combat Substance Abuse". MV+. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  25. ^ "Umar Naseer announces presidential bid to take Maldives in "A New Direction"". The Edition. 4 February 2023. Archived from the original on 26 September 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
  26. ^ "Fresh protest rocks troubled Maldives". Al Jazeera English. 4 May 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  27. ^ Naish, Ahmed (27 April 2014). "Home Minister Umar Naseer pleads not guilty to charges at Criminal Court". Maldives Independent. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  28. ^ Rasheed, Zaheena (15 June 2014). "Home Minister appeals arrest warrant". Minivan News. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  29. ^ Rasheed, Zaheena (14 June 2014). "Umar Naseer is not a fugitive from justice, says Home Ministry". Maldives Independent. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  30. ^ Rasheed, Zaheena (16 June 2014). "Home Minister returns to Malé, High Court rejects appeal to overturn arrest warrant". Minivan News. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  31. ^ Naish, Ahmed (24 July 2014). "Home Minister Umar Naseer's trial concludes at Criminal Court". Maldives Independent. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
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